Our Favorite Christmas Movies

There’s a lot to love about Christmas: the great food, the bright lights, the festive music. But nothing trumps the best part of the holidays – watching cheesy Christmas movies with family and friends. With so many different types to choose from, we’ve compiled a full-proof list of movies to watch before December ends (or, realistically, maybe even after).

Home Alone (1990)
An absolute classic, this movie stars a young Macaulay Culkin left home alone by his family on Christmas. It features a ton of iconic moments and completely set the bar for any Christmas movie that came after it. If you’re looking for something witty and just a tad bit cheesy, this movie is perfect to watch with the whole family. You’re sure to laugh out loud.

Elf (2003)
This movie is Will Ferrell at his best. In this romcom flick, Buddy the Elf goes in search of his real father after being raised by Santa’s elves his whole life. His adjustment to the human world goes about as bad as you’d expect (or maybe worse). Though the movie itself is pretty funny, a slight warning – you will probably die from secondhand embarrassment. It’s worth it for the cute ending, though.

A Christmas Prince (2017)
If you’ve heard anything about this recent Netflix-produced movie, you probably know that it’s laughably bad. But I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter – this movie is a cheesy masterpiece. A young journalist, Amber Moore (Rose McIver), sets out to the fictional world of Aldovia to investigate womanizing prince Richard (Ben Lamb) but naturally finds out there’s more to the man than you’d expect. (You can probably figure out how the rest of the movie goes from there). As long as you don’t take this movie too seriously, you’re sure to have a good time.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
There are many versions of this Dr. Seuss children’s book, but this is the best one. Jim Carrey as the Grinch is the anti-hero that you never knew you needed. Though the general storyline is the same as the original, Carrey adds a sassy flair to the Grinch that makes this movie as funny as it is moving. There’s a reason it’s become a cult classic!

Die Hard (1988)
You may have heard the argument that it doesn’t count as a Christmas movie – but everyone else is dead wrong. Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie; it’s got explosions, action, and a really sweet message about family. So really, it’s got everything you love about Christmas and more. Plus, it’s got a young Bruce Willis and a really stellar German accent from Alan Rickman. Overall, it’s one of the best movies ever written, whether you consider it a Christmas movie or not.

Some of our honorable mentions include A Christmas Story (1983), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and Love Actually (2003). Whether you watch these movies before, on, or a little bit after Christmas day, they are sure to make this holiday season great!